Forging Courses

Forge your own knife, sword or axe

FERRUM Daniel Gentile offers you the opportunity to learn the traditional craft of blacksmithing, combined with modern techniques, in various blacksmithing courses with individual lessons/small groups (max. 4 people).
Specialised in Damascus steel forging courses (composite welding steel).

Forge your own chef’s knife, hunting knife or axe from Damascus steel.
Craft a complete samurai sword (katana) or a composite, pattern welded Viking sword in authentic work.

The forging courses are aimed at beginners as well as advanced students and the three-day blacksmithing course, for example, also offers the opportunity to produce complex Damascus steel patterns.
In the professionally guided knife forging course, you will produce your own knife according to your own design in a fully equipped workshop.

Blacksmithing courses lasting 1-3 days for knives and axes, as well as swordsmithing courses lasting 4 days or more, offer a varied insight into the old traditional craft of cutlers and swordsmiths.

The minimum age for the knife & axe forging courses is 14 years.
Sword making courses can be attended from the age of 16.
The courses usually take place from Tuesday to Sunday, from 09:30 to approx. 17:30.

I also offer customised individual courses for elaborate, traditional swords with a duration of 10 days or more.

You can also buy vouchers for the forging courses

The ideal gift for craft enthusiasts, chefs, cooks, knife lovers, collectors, hunters…

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Course offer

Knife forging courses 1-3 days

1-day knife forging course

In this course you will forge your own, simple chef’s knife/outdoor knife from good carbon steel or optionally from Damascus steel prepared by me with a simple wooden handle.

max. 4 participants
Cost per person: Carbon steel CHF 400.- / Damascus steel CHF 650.-

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2-day Damascus Steel knife forging course

Forge your own chef’s knife/outdoor knife from your own Damascus steel
in this course. In this course it is also possible to produce more complex handles. This gives you the freedom to choose whether you want your knife with a flat tang & handle scales, plug-in handle, 2-piece wooden handle or… can also be manufactured with a hand guard/handle end.

max. 4 participants
Cost per person: CHF 980.

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3-day Pattern Welding Knife forging course

This course is aimed at participants who either want to learn more complex techniques of Damascus steel production (torsion, composite, simple mosaic structures, spring damascus…) or “simply” want to make a more complex / larger knife.

In this course you can, for example, make traditional Japanese chef’s knives in 3-layer construction with a single-edged blade (Hocho deba, yanagiba…), large hunting/outdoor knives with elaborate handles and hand protection. Or how about a Nepalese khukri? a tanto? or simply your own special design? The three-day course offers the right platform for this!

Forge your own elaborate chef’s knife/outdoor knife from complex Damascus steel in this course.

In this course it is also possible to produce more complex grips. So you can choose whether you want your knife with a flat tang & handle scales, a plug-in handle, a 2-part wooden handle or a knife with a handle. can also be manufactured with a hand guard/handle end.

The course is suitable for all participants – beginners and advanced. Previous experience is NOT necessary. However, this is the ideal course for people who already have some experience in knife making or for hobby knife makers to learn advanced knife making techniques.

max. 4 participants
Cost per person: CHF 1600.

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Axe forging courses 1-2 days

1-day axe forging course – Carbon or Damascus steel

Forge a simple axe with approx. 600gr. Head weight made from carbon steel – or optionally from Damascus steel prefabricated by me.

Due to time constraints, it is not possible to produce Damascus steel from scratch in the 1-day course (the 2-day course would be intended for this). A prepared standard axe shaft is also used.

max. 4 participants
Cost per person: Carbon steel CHF 500.- / Damascus steel CHF 850.-

2-day Damascus steel axe forging course

Forge your own axe from Damascus steel in this 2-day course!

Axes with a head weight of up to around 1.2 kg are feasible within the scope of the course. Viking-style bearded axes are alsopossible.
The Damascus steel is made from scratch during the course.
You have the option of making the shaft yourself or simply using a standard shaft for later replacement.

max. 4 participants
Cost per person: 1200.- CHF

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Sword forging courses from 4-12 days

Heavy forging courses 4-12 days

Important: Dates for all swordsmithing courses must be arranged individually! Please contact me to plan your swordsmithing course.
Swordsmithing courses can be booked with max. 2 participants.

4-day swordsmithing course

In the four-day course you will make simple swords – this can be a simple katana or various European swords . Iaito sword hilts are used for the katana handle and the rest of the outfit is prepared in the same way.
European swords also have very simple fittings.
There is also the option of working with Damascus steel (100-250 layers) that I have preforged .

Cost per person: Carbon steel CHF 2900.- | Damascus steel: CHF 3400.-

6-day sword forging course, Damascus steel

Forge your own Damascus steel sword in six days! (max. 2 participants)
In the six-day course you will produce more elaborate swords from Damascus steel (100-1,000 layers) – this can be a katana (simple hardening, the 10+ day individual course is intended for traditional differential hardening in a clay coat) or various European swords up to 1-1/2 hand size . In the six-day course, the – simple – outfit is made entirely by yourself.

In contrast to the four-day course, in this course you not only forge Damascus steel from scratch, but can also make larger/more complex swords as well as handmade, simple mounts.

Cost per person CHF 4900.

From 10 days: Individual forging course

This is about swords with a very high attention to detail – all mounting parts are made by hand, Japanese blades are traditionally hardened in a clay coating, elaborate Damascus steels are made or even worked with Tamahagane. Or even multi-lane“worm-colored” Damascus Viking swords. Classic 1-1/2-hand swords, almost anything is possible… The duration is from 10 days and the number of participants is limited to 2 persons.

Cost per person: AB CHF 7900.-
Please contact me with your wishes so that I can prepare a suitable offer for you!